BRONXVILLE N.Y. -- Waking up at the crack of dawn to stand in freezing cold water and dealing with photographers who refuse to give up pictures from a shoot are just some of the unexpected things that one Bronxville model has dealt with on the pursuit of living her dream.

The 25-year-old Bronxville resident and model Cynthia Florek recently released a swimsuit calendar titled Cynthia 365, which was assembled from photo shoots on a Santa Monica beach and a New York City rooftop.

Before Florek had aspirations to become a swimsuit model, she moved from her hometown of Michigan to Los Angeles to pursue a career in dance. She took her background in classical ballet and jazz and worked as a choreographer, dance teacher and opened a production company called Bravo Productions.

Florek said her experience as a dancer made her more confident and enabled her to express herself through words.

"When I was a little girl I was very shy so I started to go to dance classes because I didn’t have to talk,” said Florek. “What I found out was that I could express myself without having to speak. I felt so free because I could relate to the audience by really performing my heart out.”

As a result of her years dancing, Florek was able to get rid of her shyness and eventually directed her newfound confidence toward acting.

"It started with me doing some car and bank commercials, but things just kept on going," said Florek. "I got some work on the 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Frasier,' and they were both great experiences. I still enjoy doing commercials a little more because even now it’s still nice to just be the girl on stage.”

Between acting and modeling Florek said she spends a lot of her time traveling around the country, but when she isn’t posing for the camera she’s most likely at a yoga studio.

"I'm big on Bikram yoga and just love to push myself to the limits," said Florek. "It's so intense and by the end of the class you're completely drenched, but it's so worth it. It's a main passion of mine because it keeps me mentally and physically at the top of my game, and able to keep pushing forward.”

Within the next few years Florek said her goal is to start her own fashion line and then model the clothes in future calendars.

"I have some ideas of what I'd like to be doing in a few years and they're all things that I truly love," said Florek. "Everything that I do is because I'm passionate about it. Passion is the underlying reason for who I am, and I wouldn’t want to be living any other way.”